Andor has never shied away from depicting the grimy, inhuman side of the imperialism that plagued the Star Wars universe. You’d think that a successful rebel mission calls for a lighter episode, but instead, we have Cassian getting arrested for “loitering.”
The punishment for the same is six years of imprisonment. He is transported to a prison camp on Narkina 5, where he is sentenced to manual labor. This man simply cannot catch a break!
As viewers, we surely got curious about what the prisoners were making. Why is Andor’s imprisonment important enough to dedicate a good chunk of the episode to it?
In Andor Ep 8, Cassian is imprisoned on Narkina 5 for minor offenses. Along with the other prisoners, he is forced into manual labor building mechanical parts that are speculated to be for the Death Star.
For a tiny part of Ep 7, it seemed like the rebel mission on Aldhani was a one-off deal for Cassian—a good way to earn some credit, settle his debt, and flip a bird at the Empire.
But events in the show have been reminding Cassian time and again about the Empire’s cruelty, and being imprisoned in Episode 8 is no different. He no longer can be a passive observer who occasionally takes part in rebel heists.
The prison camp depicted how sadistic the Empire can get with their regime, pitting prisoners against each other to outdo their work performances and calling days “shifts.” (The dystopia sadly sounds a lot like contemporary work culture).
But Cassian may not be working in just any labor camp. Everything the show does is for a specific reason. So, while it didn’t confirm what the prisoners were making, it is obvious that they’re building parts for something important—most likely, the Death Star.
It is also possible that the prisoners are building other items that are used by the Empire, like Star Destroyers, Tie Fighters, or the KX-series droids.
Cassian’s Rogue One fate is no secret, so it is a little bittersweet to see him forced to work in a camp that is building the Death Star that will bring about his end.
On the flip side, this could be where he found vital information which will help take down the Empire. We’re still in the early days of the timeline that leads to Rogue One, so keep an eye out for more Easter eggs like this one!
About Andor
Andor is an American television series created by Tony Gilroy for the streaming service Disney+. It is a prequel to the Star Wars film Rogue One (2016), following the character Cassian Andor five years before the events of the film.
Set five years before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor will see Cassian in his formative years as he becomes the charismatic Rebel and espionage master.
Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Stellan Skarsgaard, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, and others star in the show. The series premiered on Disney+ on September 21, 2022, with the first three episodes.
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